Breadcrumbs

The Board

About the Board

The Board comprises a Non-Executive Chairman, four Non-Executive Directors and two Executive Directors. The Group believes the size and composition of the Board give it sufficient independence, balance and broad experience to provide effective oversight of Synectics' strategy, performance, resources and standards of conduct. The strong representation of Non-Executive Directors on the Board demonstrates its independence, provides a greater depth of experience and facilitates challenge.

The roles of the Chairman and the Chief Executive are undertaken by separate individuals. The Chairman, David Coghlan, is responsible for leadership of the Board and ensuring that there is effective communication with shareholders. The day-to-day leadership and management of the business is undertaken by the Chief Executive, Paul Webb, assisted by senior management.

Peter Rae fulfils the role of the Senior Independent Director of the Group. He was appointed based on his ability to perform the role and his deep knowledge and experience of the Group. He supports and deputises for the Chairman on matters relating to Directors and engagement with shareholders.

The Company Secretary, in conjunction with the Chairman, ensures that accurate, timely and clear information is provided to the Board in order for informed decisions and discussions to take place. The Company Secretary is responsible for advising the Board on governance matters and regulatory requirements. The appointment and removal of the Company Secretary are matters reserved for the Board. All Directors have direct access to the Company Secretary and to independent professional advice at the Group's expense as required.

The Group purchases and maintains Directors' and officers' liability insurance in respect of the Group, the Company and its Directors throughout each financial year.

David Coghlan - Chairman (Non-executive Director)

has degrees in Law and in Finance from the University of New South Wales in Sydney and an MBA from Wharton in Philadelphia. He was formerly a partner at strategy consultants Bain & Company. He is currently a director, and audit committee chairman, of AIM-quoted SCISYS plc and chairman and/or a director of several other companies, mainly in the electronics technology field.

Paul Webb - Chief Executive (Executive Director)

joined the Group in 2004. Since then Paul has overseen the rapid growth of the Group's industrial systems activities and, more latterly, led the consolidation of all of Synectics' proprietary technology systems activities into a single operation. He has a degree in Physics from Imperial College, London.

Mike Stilwell - Finance Director (Executive Director)

joined Synectics in October 2012 as Group Financial Controller, after finance roles with the Saint-Gobain Group, Coventry Building Society and the Caparo Group. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in 2001 and has a degree in Accounting and Financial Analysis from the University of Warwick.

Dennis Bate CBE – Independent Non-executive Director

has over 50 years' experience in the construction industry, of which 38 were spent with Bovis, most latterly as board director responsible for Bovis’ operations in the UK and Eastern Europe. Following retirement from Bovis, Dennis has held a number of non-executive roles and currently provides a wide range of consultancy services. He was awarded the CBE for his services within the industry.

Steve Coggins – Independent Non-executive Director

has held various senior roles in both sales and marketing and general management in the information technology arena including Senior Vice President at both Amdahl (now part of Fujitsu) and at Silicon Graphics. Earlier he spent time at IBM and also in engineering computing in the aircraft industry.

Peter Rae - Senior Independent Non-executive Director

is an Independent Non-Executive Director and a graduate of Cambridge University, and has served on several quoted company boards. He has current interests in a wide range of engineering and other businesses.

Michael Butler - Independent Non-executive Director

has held various senior roles in general management, sales and marketing in tele-communications businesses, including President and Chief Operating Officer and an executive board director of Inmarsat plc. He was previously Managing Director of MCI Worldcom UK. He is currently a director of several other companies, including Non-Executive Chairman of Broadband Satellite Services Limited, and Non-Executive Director of The People's Operator plc, an AIM-listed mobile virtual network operator.

The Board welcomes dialogue with shareholders and actively engages with shareholders through face-to-face meetings and written queries, and at the Company's Annual General Meeting.

Individual meetings are conducted with those substantial shareholders who so request following the announcement of final and half-year results. The Group's brokers are requested to collate all responses from such investor meetings and to pass these to the Board.

In addition, the Chairman apprises all Board members of any other significant shareholder feedback or discussions.

As part of the continued review of the Group's governance reporting, the Annual Report and Accounts includes expanded narrative governance disclosures that take into account the views of shareholders expressed through the engagement process.